October 29, 2011

Do you see what I see here???  A thick fuzzy wooly worm.  If forklore is correct we are going to have a long, hard, cold winter.  Of course, when has our winters not been cold and hard???  And they always seem long.

 I've also been known to check out the persimmon seeds.  I have split the seeds open to see if there was a knife or shovel in the center of the seed.  If there was a shovel symbol in the center it meant we were to have lots of snow.  LOL.  I love the old folklore I learned as a child.  I've even done the little rhyme my mom taught me to remember how many days are in a month.  "30 days hath September, April, June and November.  All the rest have 31 except February and it is different."  LOL.  Don't think that's how it originally ended but that was the way I always ended it. 

Terry and I went to Settle's Ford today.  It is a conservation area outside of Garden City.  He didn't think he had ever been there before so I told him I would show him where it was.  It is a place that I have frequented alot in my past.  I would bring my journal or my bible and just set there and reflect my life.  It gave me peace within a life that there was no peace.  I did a lot of laughing, crying, talking, and just generally tried to figure out what I was going to do.  Josh and I would go out there sometimes too but mostly I would go by myself.  

See why I love this area so.  In the Spring time when the rains have flooded the area it is so nice there too.  When you get out of the car you can hear the water running and hear the birds, frogs and fish jumping.  Today was in the mid 70's and all you could hear were the leaves rustling with the wind.  Off in the distance were little squirrels scurring up and down the tree's getting ready for the long cold winter that Willy was telling us was just around the corner!!!

This area was the hotbed of border violence before and during the Civil War.  Eventually all residents were evacuated by federal toops under General Ewing's infamous "Order No. 11."  For those of you that don't know what Order 11 was, this General demanded all homes to be burned to the ground.  There are very few homes in Cass County area that were built before the Civil War because these homes were burnt. 

Anyway, shortly after resettlement was permitted, a family with the name of Settles operated a mill and ford in the center of what is currently this conservation area.  The conservation has like 6,766 acre area and there is an abundance of wildlife.  We forgot our binoculars but will bring them with us again.  Josh and I use to go to Civil War battlefields up along the MO River and I plan to educate Terry on this free and interesting history lesson about Missouri history. 

After we finished walking around this area we went riding through the country.  We ended up by his friends house Jim Kenagy.  Jim was out working on his car so we stopped to visit.  Lots of people don't like Jimmy but I have always enjoyed visiting with him.  He has the same love as I do about gardening and horticulture.  He's really a smart, smart man if you can get past the BS.  LOL!!!  You've got to know Jimmy Kenagy to know what I am saying. 

Anyway Jimmy is just a few years older than I am.  He retired a few years ago from J.E. Dunn construction.  He was upper management there.  Let me add, Jimmy is very excentric.  A little bit of a horder, a little bit I don't know what.  Anyway he has been growing tomatoes since he has retired.  Last year he planted 3500.  Yes, I said 3500 and they are the best tomatoes I've ever eaten.  I probably won't grow any more for the rest of my life, just buy them from Jimmy.  He goes to the Amish auctions and is friends with most of the communities.  His digs are mostly at Rich Hill and Windsor area.  Oh and Versailles too.  They usually start his plants for him but he has bought scrape to build a greenhouse and is getting it going on now.  He said he is going to be starting his own plants and then showed me where he is going to grow the tomatoes before they go into the ground.  Pretty cool if I don't say so myself.  I'll keep you updated, he's something else.

 We came home to crockpot full of chicken, green beans, carrots, peas and corn. It was pretty dang good. Josh came up after we finished. He has a Halloween party to attend and is going as a caveman.

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Kinda makes a mother proud, don't it???  I wouldn't have him any other way though.  Him and my husband are my world!!!

World Series is over and now we are watching college football.  My husband loves his sports.  Of course his favorite is baseball and he loves his Chiefs too.  The rest is just filler until the other is on. 

I am going to read up a little more about posting pictures on my blog and learn how to post links.  I'm having troubles with that.  I'll get it, I've only been doing this for about a week, I should lighten up on myself.  If nothing else I have learned how to post the pics within my blog. 

As always, will talk to you guys later.  This is fun!!!